Dead bison at farm in receivership, more seem to be at risk

Susanna Freymark

Note: The photos in this story may be distressing because they show a dead bison.

Six female bison have apparently died and a further 31 are under threat.

The Aranyani Bison Adventure Tourist Park is on about 500 hectares at Myrtle Creek in the Bungawalbin catchment.

The American bison were once a tourist attraction. Now with the property in receivership, the bison appear to be dying.

While the issues at the Elliotts Rd property are being sorted, the welfare of the bison has declined and they seem to be at risk.

The RSPCA said it was aware of the matter.

An RSPCA inspector has attended the property.

“The matter is ongoing and due to this we cannot provide any further information at this time,” a RSPCA spokesperson said.

A neighbour who asked not to be identified is distressed at the state of the bison.

The people who have been brought in to care for the bison are treating them like cattle, he said. This is deadly.

“Bison are a wild animal – different to cattle,” he said.

Bison need to graze and the straw bales left for them in the paddock are not good for their digestive systems.

The bison have watery feces and the ones that have already died had this condition too.

Corralling the bison into a smaller fenced area also doesn’t work, he said. The bison turn on each other because they don’t like to be kept in close quarters.

The situation is difficult and complex and the bison are the ones suffering.